Alive
by Toa Lord Sothe
Summary: Two hardened warriors felt dead until that day, but a duel to death is the best way to remind you you're alive. One-Shot: Vader/Mitsurugi


"Rise Lord Vader."

He did as his master commanded looking up at the aged man's holograph.

"Lord Vader, I have a new objective for you." His Master spoke again as indifferent as ever.

"Yes my master?" He could barely mask the enthusiasm in his voice, a new objective for him, a phrase he hadn't hurt for far to long. The last mission he had was exterminating a group of Jedi outcast on Naboo a whole ten years ago. This chance for a new battle had him ecstatic.

He quickly regained his composure.

"My master…where will this mission be carried out?"

His master spoke again after a breif pause.

"You will be taken to a small primitive world in an alternate universe."

His excitement vanished, simple recon, a mission any Storm Trooper could handle.

"You are to search for two items that have created a disturbance in the force, the likes of which not seen since Order 66."

"Yes…my master."

The hologram disappeared and Vader rose to his feet again.

"Admiral Piett, ready my TIE Fighter, and alert the ground crew on Kashykk to prepare the Orbital Gate, I have orders from the Emporer that I will be handling myself."

"Yes my lord."

* * *

He had already spent two months on this thrice cursed blue rock, locating the first of these disturbances was an easy task.

The items he was looking for were aparently two swords of no little infamy in this world, the first Soul Calibur was easy to locate, it's weilder made no attempt to make himself hidden and put up little resistence when Vader had challanged him.

But wehn he finally tracked down the owner of this "Soul Edge" it seemed as if someone had gotten there first.

He had finally located the new owner in a land known as Isreal but it seemed that the entire area was cought up in some sort of holy war.

Now he stoof on a desert battlefield in the midst of a large scale conflict, he couldn't help but reval in the carnage around him, millions of human lives being snubbed out in an instant.

But the thought of the mission pulled him out of those happy thoughts as he resumed his search for the man with the "Soul Edge"

Several men with pikes charged him screaming as they tried ti strike down this demon in black.

He extended his palm sending a blast of lightning into both of them.

They went flying several feet, their dead bodies still twitching from the shocks.

Vader barely had time to admire his own skill before more of the primitives charged him.

He sighed drawing his lightsaber, cutting down tens of men at a time.

"H-help me…" "Oh dear god…" "Devil! He's a Devil" "…Bastard…"

He ignored their cries and continued to hack away at any who came near him.

"It's the Azure Knight!" one man shouted before being decapitated.

"HE'S BLACK DUMB SHIT!" shouted another before being cut down himself.

Vader couldn't believe any of these men could have beaten him to the first wielder of Soul Edge.

It was there in that moment of doubt when he saw him, long hair, shirtless, and a slightly diffrent skin color from the other soldiers around him.

This man had no armour, this man needed no armour.

As he was besieged on all sides by men with spears and guns and a swords he shrugged their attacks off, avoiding or blocking or pre-empting every blow thrown at him.

This man only the slightest of movement sliced Musket Balls clean in half.

This man was the only man who could wield Soul Edge.

Vader charged at his target pushing aside or cutting anyone in his path.

This man looked up and saw the black adonis charging and began to make his way towards him as well.

He drew his trusted Shishi-Oh and brought it down on this Black Interloper.

It was then that this new enemy drew a blade of what appeared to be pure fire, and cut clean through Mitsurugi's sword.

"This was my family's treasure for years. " he said as he backed away from this man and his blade of fire.

"You're traditions interest me not." he pointed the sword at him.

"Good…I could give two shits about them myself." he grabbed a broadsword from the ground swinging it at Vader as he easily cut through it once again.

"Where is Soul Edge? Bear in mind I will only ask once." he clenched his fist urging the force to choke this man.

However Mitsurugi seemed to shrug it off barely registering that he felt anything.

"Figured I'd have to use old Nightmare's blade…didn't wanna have to resort to that." he reached behind him drawing a grotesgue blade from a sheathe on his back.

The blade was an abomination, it's handle was made of what could only be described as bone and the blade looked as if it was coated in flesh.

It called out to him, as if it was alive and had it's own soul, calling for him to wield it and to succumb to his own madness.

"How is it that you can shake off the force? How is it you can use this sword?" Vader assumed his stance.

"Dunno what a Force is and as for Soul Edge…either I don't have a weak will or I'm already insane…don't know which and honestly I'm good with either." He also assumed his stance as the two circled eachother, as if the battle around them wasn't even happening.

Vader charged at him bringing his Saber down and being blocked by Mitsurugi's Edge.

"No matter how powerful, in it's current form Soul Edge should not be able to stop my Lightsaber" he said in disbelief.

"I don't follow the rules here, what the hell makes you think I'll be followin' the rules whereever it is you come from?" he swung at him.

Vader was barely able to block.

This fight…would be the best he'd had in a long time.

"Tell me your name…" Mitsurugi said. "One custom I don't mind following…is…in my country….before you kill someone you give 'em your name…So Black Man…My name is Heishiro Mitsurugi…don't forget to let the Shinigami know I sent him another one."

He paused…

"My name is Da…no…my name is Anakin Skywalker…"

"Very well Anakin…let's finish this."

They charged, cutting at eachother as they passed…

"For years…for 15 years I've felt dead…serving a master I hate…doing work I can't stand…letting my blade rust." Vader barely held himself up.

"Ever since I killed the Azure Knight 4 years ago…I've felt the same way." Mitsurugi leaned on his sword.

"I felt alive for once…" They said in unison as Mitsurugi fell to the ground.

"Where I come from there are many like you…even their weakest was more powerful then you're people…but you…you are diffrent…what are you?"

"I'm a Samurai…" Mitsurugi grunted out inbetween breaths.

"I will remember that Samurai." Vader turned off his lightsaber and put it on his belt.

He picked up this Soul Edge and radio'd to his TIE that he was ready to leave.

"Wait…before you go Skywalker…I want a warrior's death."

Vader turned around, picking up the fragments of the shattered Shishi-oh, he helped Mitsurugi up for a moment and handed him the blade.

"Do as you must."

And with that he turned his back on Hishiro Mitsurugi and left this world behind him.


End file.
